Rival vs Assistant
by MistressOfTime1218
Summary: With Kaito taking on the role of Lupin, and Hakuba playing the part of Watson, who will win over the heart of the Sherlock Holmes known as Shinichi Kudo?
1. Chapter 1

~*I do not own this anime. If I did my favorite pairings would be cannon.*~

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Hakuba was the detective, the critic who sought after criminals and gave chase. Kaito was the thief, the artist who took what he wanted without fear of the one who ran after him. Because of, this Hakuba and Kaito had always been, and would always continue to be, at odds.

Truth be told this feud was nothing personal. It was simply the way the world worked. Neither blamed the other for their role in this life (Save for when Kaito decided it would be hilarious to magically wreck everything Hakuba owned, or when Hakuba decided it would be an excellent idea to harass Kaito when he was at school or right before his heist) and neither really begrudged the other something they may have wanted.

Except, well, Shinichi Kudo.

By now it is difficult to determine exactly when the Detective of the East became so important to the two of them. To one Shinichi had just been a sort of business associate, to the other he was simply a rival. Then he slyly made his way into the heart of the one he chased, as well as the one who he helped do the chasing. Hakuba began to see the detective as a confidant. Kaito began to see him as a friend. Then soon, both detective and thief began to see the Heisei Holmes as a possible love interest. It had been a quick, almost undetectable, and instant realization.

Hakuba had been the first to admit it. It had been an awkward confession, told only to Kaito and Hakuba's father. Police Senator Hakuba had been informed by choice, Kaito by accident (When had anyone really been able to control where Kaito popped up?). Though somewhat dazed, his father had given him his full support and Kaito…well he had not really given his verdict. He had been far too stunned to move at the time.

But that had given Hakuba more than enough encouragement. Soon he began subtly courting his detective counterpart. Letting Shinichi take the lead in cases where Hakuba had shown up first, asking the other for valued advice even though he already knew the answer, and even giving Shinichi more access to classified information on KID heists. All without an ounce of complaints and delivered with perfect English manners and a sweet voice.

And all right in front of KID. Now Kaito would admit, Hakuba had staked his claim first and therefore really should have had first rights to Shinichi. But Kaito had seen him first, the two of them had shared an intense mental bond and respect before the eastern detective even knew Hakuba's name, and even though he had realized his feelings later on, he felt he was the only one who had the right to go for the detective's heart.

The problem was that he had unintentionally given Hakuba a head start. The British detective had already started trying to charm his way into Shinichi's life, and it was working. There was no denying that the Heisei Holmes was enjoying the attention he was receiving from his fellow detective and a fellow Sherlock Holmes lover no less! Shinichi was a showman in his own right, and therefore did so love a good audience. Especially one that was so attentive and loyal, even if it wasn't in a romantic sense. Kaito hated to admit it, but Hakuba had the upper hand.

So he just had to even the score.

It had been at a KID heist. Kaito had planned it all out carefully down to the minutest detail. He had set up very little traps and had made it so that everyone in the taskforce could make it to the roof roughly around the same time. Once all had been present, most importantly Shinichi and Hakuba, KID had announced something that had shocked everybody.

Shinichi Kudo was indeed his favorite detective, and was undoubtedly the _only_detective who he would ever have any respect for. He went on to say that Shinichi, he had even called him by name, was not like the others in his field. He was not a lowly critic who looked down on the artist who created an essence of life. Instead he was somewhat of artist himself who could easily match any creative presence KID had ever seen. Shinichi Kudo, he said respectively, was truly one in a million who deserved nothing but the best for the justice he did the world simply by being alive.

Before he had flown off, Kaito had seen Shinichi go breathless. He had seen that the detective's face had been beautifully flushed while his eyes stared up in awe at the thief smiling down at him.

But Hakuba had shown a very different emotion in his eyes: surprise, disbelief, and a large amount of hurt and betrayal. It had almost been enough to make Kaito feel guilty.

Kaito had tried to reason with himself, and spent the rest of the evening at home trying to convince himself that he had done nothing wrong. He had purposely left the meaning of his words vague. Anyone who heard them could take them or leave them as they saw fit. He hadn't been cruel. He said nothing about Hakuba's unknown feelings, or how KID would be better for Shinichi than Hakuba could ever hope to be. He hadn't really said anything about his own feelings towards the detective either. All he had done was admit that he respected, maybe even admired, the eastern detective.

But who was he kidding. He knew why he had worded things the way he did, he knew why he had done it so publicly, and he knew perfectly well why he had said it all in front of Hakuba. And Hakuba knew it too.

The next few weeks after the heist had been extremely tense between the two of them. A silent war was raging on with no sign of stopping until one of them got what they wanted. During that time Hakuba had started to take things much more seriously. He began making plans with the eastern detectives, accompanying him on murder cases, visiting him at the Kudo manor, doing anything he could to get close to him. And anytime something particularly wonderful happened, he was always sure to let Kaito, as well as the rest of the class, know about it.

Hakuba knew it would irritate Kaito because the brunette did not have the same opportunity. Kaito Kuroba had never met Shinichi Kudo, only KID had ever been introduced to the detective. Saguru Hakuba, on the other hand, had met Shinichi as a civilian, and therefore could spend as much time as he wanted with Shinichi away from heists. And away from KID.

Kaito had been so mad he had followed the British detective home one day, having very intention of ruining his day with every magic trick he could think of. He started by annoying Hakuba all the way to his doorstep, where both were met face to face with a very big surprise. It seemed Shinichi had come to Ekoda to speak with Hakuba about the upcoming KID heist. The visit had been impulsive and Hakuba had been given no warning.

But Kaito had been given a wonderful opportunity. He immediately introduced himself and proceeded to hog all of Shinichi's attention until the detective had been forced to bid both Ekoda High students farewell. Kaito was then kicked out of the Hakuba household with something that might have been a declaration of war.

Kaito had been unconcerned. He now had a whole new window of opportunities to get to his favorite critic, and he had never been one to pass up such blessings. He mimicked his classmate's earlier tricks and started making plans with Shinichi for every possible free moment. It became a battle of time between Hakuba and Kaito that was even more intense than their battles as officer and criminal.

And then the bombs started to fall.

It had started when Kaito and Hakuba had offered, insisted really, to accompany Shinichi to a crime scene in Osaka. There they had had the pleasure of running into Heiji Hattori who had already been on the scene when the three outsiders arrived. The actual murder had been easily solved with the culprit in handcuffs in a matter of thirty minutes. After which the four decided to grab a bite to eat and maybe have a good conversation over an early dinner. The night had been very enjoyable for everybody involved, except for the occasional glaring and arguments that no one but the two arguing could understand, but it was during the walk home that another spark had erupted.

Hattori had smiled wide, patted Kaito right on the back, turned to Shinichi and said,

"I like this guy. He should hang out with us more often!"

There was an undertone in those simple sentences. It was an undertone that Shinichi had surprisingly missed, but held an underline message that both Kaito and Hakuba had noticed instantly. A message that told the two of them which one he wanted to gain Shinichi's love.

And just like that Kaito had unknowingly gained Hattori's support. He had Shinichi's best friend's approval, and boy did that feel good, even more so when he saw the look on Hakuba's face. Hattori had never said anything so nice about Hakuba before. Actually he never spoke kindly about the British detective at all. But he liked Kaito, and the magician knew how much influence Hattori had on Shinichi. The east respected the west, and the west's opinion was valued to the east. And the west seemed to like this little unexpected wind that looked almost identical to his best friend.

Kaito had felt lighter than air, higher than a hot air balloon,

Until he arrived at school the next morning to find that Aoko had decided to do whatever she could to get Shinichi and Hakuba together. Then it was like gravity had sent him crashing to the floor while someone took a needle and popped his balloon. That bastard had gotten Aoko, sweet little Aoko, Kaito's _**best friend **_Aoko, to come into this feud as Hakuba's right hand man…or woman if you wanted to get technical about it.

Kaito had been so angry he had gone home early with the excuse of some type of ailment. He did not want have to confess his love to Shinichi just as he was being hauled off to the nearest prison for the murder of Saguru Hakuba.

But when he did return, he made it perfectly clear that. This. Meant. **War**.

Soon the two started to assemble little support teams, people who would help them in their cause. Hakuba had managed to acquire the beika police force, the entire KID task force, and even Shinichi's own mother as well as Aoko and her friend Keiko. But Kaito had done a bit of recruiting as well. He had the entire Shounen Tantei, Hakase Agasa, Akako Koizumi (He was rather shocked that she had even agreed), and Shincihi's father on his side.

Ai Haibara had refused to be a part of the insanity.

Now it all just came down to one thing. Though it could be said in many different ways, the favorite way to describe the purpose of this fight came from Ai herself.

"_So who will win the affection of our Heisei Holmes? Will it be Dr. John Watson, or Arsene Lupin?" _

_

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_DarkMist: You did not.

MistressOfTime1218: Yup.

StormBlitz: What's the occasion?

MistressOfTime1218:I've been in love with this pairing ever since I got back into Conan. I just never had the guts to write anything for it until now. I even made it the first post on my new livejournal account.

K-Chan:That was pretty risky seeing as there are some really great writers for this fandom. You might seem like such a noob, plus you're inexpiriecned writing for this fandom and-

DarkMist: (Seeing her friend becoming nervous, covers K-Chan's mouth) We get it.

MistressOfTime1218: (Gulps) Well, tell me what you think. If it's good I might continue. So with that said, please R&R.


	2. Child's Play

There was something to be said, Shinichi thought, about a person who could kill as cold heartedly as this man had done.

Four bodies were littered across the floor, all boys whose ages ranged from four to nine. The oldest was a sandy blonde haired child. His small body showed signs of immense strength, which was no doubt the effect of his constant participation in sports. His mother had shown the police several photographs taken with his championship baseball team, happy, healthy, and as bright as the sun in the background. Elliot, named after his grandfather, who was of English decent, had been brutally suffocated to the point of blood being spewed from his mouth.

His younger brothers were in similar conditions.

The second oldest, six year old Akio, had his throat encased in his winter scarf. He had not bled like his Niisan had, but he had thrown up. Forensics said the bile on the floor had been chicken nuggets mixed in with mashed potatoes and chocolate milk. Shinichi almost winced when he realized that it must have been the boy's final meal. It was the lunch he had eaten at school while talking to his friends about how he could get out of doing his homework, and what he could be doing after the final bell rang out.

The two youngest, a set of four year old twins, Alexander and Shinbou, had suffered the least, or at least that was what the police assumed. They had been knocked unconscious due to the aid of a cloth bathed in chloroform. Then they had been smothered with the same large goose feather pillow. The two had died in their sleep, tiny hands interlaced as if the twins had comforted each other before their final moments came to an end.

The culprit? The children's father Simon Wilfred.

Shinichi had to admit, adults killing children was not too odd in this day and age. The odd part was that the blood parent of said child had been the one to do the killing. But it had happened in the states before. Hakuba had mentioned quite a few cases where mothers had gotten rid of their children. Some because they were desperate to keep an affair going, some because of sudden bouts of insanity, some because the culprit was a fuse waiting to blow, but this case was odder still.

For one thing there was no affair, and these children legitimately belonged to both of their parents, who had never been unfaithful to the other. The man who had committed the crime was perfectly sane, or as sane as a man who murdered his children could possibly be. There was no history of mental instabilities and no prior record of violence against anyone around him. His record was clean, his hands were even cleaner.

So why had he done this?

That had been the harsh question the Heisei Holmes demanded once he had pointed Simon out as the killer. He had also asked why he had so viciously murdered his sons, his pride and joys, but hadn't touched his three month old daughter.

Simon said he loved his wife, and he loved having his wife all to himself. He was jealous of his children. She spent day after day caring for the little ones while he had begun to fall by the waste side. In his eyes they were hogging all of her attention, and he had to find a way to fix that. So that morning he offered to take care of the kids for the afternoon, with every intention of getting rid of his competition.

Elliot had been the first to sense his father's deadly intentions. He had screamed, cried, kicked, and forced his father to grab at him first while his brothers took his little sister and ran. Elliot had put up the fight of his young life, and it took fifteen minutes before he finally went limp. It was then that his body started convulsing, and it was then that the blood had come out of his throat.

Akio had been caught at the stairway to the attic. His younger brothers and sister had fled to the uppermost section of the house, but they needed time to lock the door. Akio, taking after his brother's example, fought against his father. He had obviously cried a lot more, and he must have experienced a higher sense of panic, because it did not take long for him to vomit all over himself. Simon had been unable to grab hold of his neck long enough to strangle the little boy. In a last ditch effort to finish the job he picked up the closest thing at hand, the scarf, and wrapped it tightly around the boys neck until his son had stopped breathing.

The twins, meanwhile, had managed to lock the door. But they must have known it would not hold. Moments after their brothers had been killed they found a fish tank covered in some linen sheets. They used it as a hiding spot for their younger sister. When Simon broke down the door those two were all he could see. He had finished them off as quickly as he could, using the chloroform he had planned to use on all of them, if not for his oldest son, before smothering them with one of the pillows in the attic.

Shinichi asked again why he had left the little girl alone. Why had her life been spared?

Simon claimed that that had not been his intention. Three months old Eve had been next on the list. But by this point in time he had caused too much of a ruckus, causing the neighbors to come banging at the door, so he had been forced to jump ship and try to run before he could finish off his daughter.

Shinichi had been utterly disgusted, especially when Simon's wife started begging the police not to take him away. The Detective of the East could not understand how she could still care for that man. The man who had murdered four of her kids all because of some childish jealously, and yet she still gave him her sympathy. It was so pathetic it made him sick to his stomach. It made him so terribly angry that he had been forced to sit down away from the arresting officers, lest he take it upon himself to knock some sense into someone.

About five minutes later his downward gaze was obstructed by a small chubby face. The smile, though upside down, was bright enough to lighten his mood immensely.

"Don't be angry uncle Ichi." A childlike voice said as tiny fingers went out to touch his face. "I luv you!"

Shinichi could not help but smile. Sitting up straight he took hold of the baby being held out to him, little two month old Eve, before smiling at the one who had given her a voice. "Thanks Kaito."

Said magician smiled warmly before patting the detective on the back. "No worries Shin-Chan. Anything to make you happy."

Shinichi felt the seat next to him dip slightly as Hakuba took a seat beside him on the couch. In his hands was a mu filled with coffee that must have been made especially for his depressed friend if its smell was anything to go by. It was Shinichi's favorite brand.

"Is that for me?"

Hakuba nodded. "I hate to say it, but you looked like you needed it Kudo-Kun."

"Shinichi." The eastern detective corrected. "I told you it was fine if you called me Shinichi."

That brought a smile to the blondes face. "Very well Shinichi." He offered up the mug in his hands. "Care for a drink?"

Shinichi wondered if he could handle holding onto the little girl and his hot drink at the same time. It didn't sound very safe, and he doubted her mother would appreciate it. Then again, she did manage to forgive the man who had basically slaughtered Eve's older brothers, so maybe her mother wouldn't mind all that much after all.

Before his mind could remind him angry he had been seconds earlier, he felt two hands gently lift the girl from his lap and into their arms. Upon further inspection he realized it was Hattori, the last member of his small group that had attended this small tragedy.

"Drink yer coffee Kudo. I got her."

"You sure?"

"Sure I'm sure." He bounced the little girl up and down. Little squeals of delight soon filled the immediate area.

Shinichi gave a brief thanks before gulping down the cup of liquid he so desperately craved. It was oddly soothing. Having something warm go down his throat as happy little laughs filled the air surrounding him. With Hattori's helpful mood, Hakuba's reassuring attitude, and Kaito's ever joyful aura, it was hard to stay upset. Even though the case was still fresh in his heart, Shinichi found it a bit easier to relax.

He smiled when Hattori brought Eve down to the floor and began moving her around as though she were dancing. Kaito then started to sing while Hakuba chimed in with the tune. Little Eve laughed as though everything were right in the world. Had Shinichi not known the horrifying truth, he would have believed so too.

"I wonder what will happen next." He didn't realize he had spoken out loud until he saw his friends' questioning gazes on him. "To Eve I mean. Her brothers are dead, her father's going to jail, and her mother's still in love with a murderer."

Hakuba placed a comforting hand on Shinichi's shoulder. "I'll admit it is a bit disheartening. I can't imagine caring about someone who killed my children."

Hattori somberly sat down on the floor in front of the couch. "Maybe it's because he killed them that she can't help but love him. I mean, her kids are gone, and if she wants more he's her best shot."

Shinichi had a hard time accepting that excuse. "If she wanted more children she could find someone better than that sperm donor. Besides," His eyes traveled to the little girl now playing with Hattori's hat. "She's still got one left."

"She might not be enough Kudo. It's easier to lose one than it is to lose all but one."

In some part of Shinichi's mind that argument made sense. To lose everything in the world save for one single object of affection was almost bittersweet. That one object would be a constant reminder of all you had last. Its simple presence was enough to cause you sweet torment. Enough to make you regret ever keeping it at all, because a part of you felt as though it was mocking you by making you realize that you needed it.

Would Eve's mother come to resent her? She might not be enough to compensate for her four brothers. And since she was the youngest Eve did not have the longest bonding time with her mother. It would be all too easy for her to be forgotten.

"That's not fair."

Hattori gave him a sympathetic look. "Murder's never fair Kudo, and neither is the sorrow that happens after it."

There was the sound of feet stomping across the carpeted floor, and out of the corner of his eye Shinichi could see Kaito rise to his full height. There was a scowl on his face as the magician started to shake his head in disappointment, which was probably aimed at the three detectives.

"What is the matter with you guys?" All he got for an answer was three equally confused stares. "Here we are, amidst the chaos of a murder, standing in the room with what is basically the only survivor left, with a golden opportunity to fix what her father destroyed --"

"Can we get to the point Kuroba?" Hakuba asked bluntly. "I do believe your maze of a speech might be making Shinichi feel worse, and slightly dizzy." The detective knew he was setting himself up for another few days of relentless pranking at the hands of one Kaito Kuroba, but it was worth it to hear Shinichi's small concealed chuckle.

"What I mean is," Kaito said glaring at the British detective. "We can do something about this."

Shinichi smiled sadly. "We can't fix this Kaito." He leaned backed into the semi soft cushions of the sofa. "There isn't anything I can think of that would help." He sighed. He suddenly felt very tired. "Her brothers are gone, her father wanted her dead, and her mother will probably never give her the attention she needs."

"Well, we can't do much about her parents, but we can give her some new brothers."

Hattori looked more confused than ever. "How? You think the mom will want to have more?"

"No. But what about us?"

The western detective simply gaped. "I aint' got what it takes to make them."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant! Geez for a detective you can be really stupid."

Hattori responded by sticking out his tongue.

"So what did you mean Kuroba?"

"We could be her brothers."

The room was engulfed in a stunned silence. The three detectives looked from one another, down to the little girl who continued to play with Hattori's hat, back to the magician who was smiling broadly.

Shinichi had just one question. "How?"

Kaito flopped down to the floor next to Hattori. Eve took notice of her new visitor. She reached out her tiny arms, using small gurgled noises to make a request. Always the doting gentleman, Kaito gentle pried her from Hattori's grasp. "There are four of us, and there were four of them. We won't ever be able to replace them, even in her young heart, but we can fill the void her father left. Even if only a little bit."

Kaito's voice was soothingly gentle. His smile soft as the child he held in his arms. In his eyes was a glimmer of hope, a small promise that everything would work out in the end. It admitted that the road might be painful, but the result would undoubtedly be worth the struggle. In all his years as a detective, not even small children had ever warmed Shinichi as much as that look did, and in all his years as a detective no one but Kaito had ever been able to make him believe it.

"But we can't replace them." Hattori piped up. "We gotta make sure she knows about them somehow."

"For once," Hakuba began. "I completely agree. Those four little boys gave up their lives to save hers. It is only fair she realizes just how wonderful and brave her brothers really were."

Kaito smile widened, lighting up his eyes. "There's a million ways we can see to that. Show her pictures, tell her stories, take her to their favorite places. We can be their voices to her here in the living, and her small window into the siblings that loved her."

Kaito shifted so that one arm was free to grab onto Shinichi's limp hand, while the other kept a firm grasp on Eve. The Eastern detective was almost surprised at the way his hand was being held. Respectively, politely, and almost KID like. He could not help the flush that rose to his face when the thief, and his unexpected declarations of admiration, crossed his mind.

"I promise you we'll make this better. You don't have to worry about it again, alright Shin-Chan?"

Shinichi looked deeply into Kaito pure violet eyes. There had always been something about them that lured the detective in like a moth to a flame. If he wanted to get poetic about it, Shinichi would dare to say it was almost like a lullaby drawing you into a vast sea of sweet dreams. He never got tired of looking at them.

Kaito held up Eve to his face once more, breaking the detective out if his daze. The girl smiled at him, smiled at him with bright eyes and an innocent smile that could have rivaled Kaito's own. What was he supposed to say to that?

Returning the gesture, and taking the girl into his arms, he said, "I get to be Elliot."

Hattori playfully groaned. "How come you get to be the oldest?"

"Because I'm mature, athletic, and I called first dibs."

Hattori pouted. "No fair." His response was Shinichi sticking out his tongue. "Well then I'm Akio."

Shinichi then turned his attention to the two beside him. "I guess that makes you two the twins."

Kaito and Hakuba simultaneously turned to look at the other. At first they blinked, then they looked aghast, soon after that they glared heatedly, and finally snobbishly turned their heads as though they could not stand the sight of one another.

It was Hakuba who eventually decided to answer. "Then I get to be Alexander." The name was English, like Shinichi's, and if his research was correct that was the twin who Elliot respected the most.

"Fine, Shinbou is cuter anyway." Mischievously he laid his head atop Shinichi's lap, mindful not to get hit by Eve's kicking legs. "That means Shin-Chan gets to pamper me." He said happily, remembering that Shinbou was the twin that Elliot had babied the most.

Hattori, who knew exactly what was going on, could not help but think that the two of them were completely and utterly whipped. Since when had they decided to choose names and characters based on how close they might have been to Kudo?

But, true to their roles, Shinichi began to run his fingers nimbly through Kaito's hair. Slender smooth fingers gently shifted this way and that in soothing motions. The owner of that wonderful hand was chuckling, sending small vibrations throughout his, and subsequently Kaito's, body. The magician could not help but sigh contently. Right now, in this moment, Shinichi's attention was completely and wonderfully focused on him. And the reason for that attention had to have been affection otherwise Shinichi would not have been so gentle.

"So now I have two children to look out for?"

Kaito nodded happily. "I like being your baby." He had said this in a childlike voice, one that mimicked his own when he was little, so that everyone around would think he was playing. In reality Shinichi had no idea how serious it really was, or how badly Kaito wanted it to be true. The detective really was clueless when it came to these types of things.

But he'd worry about that later. Hakuba was getting annoyed, and would most likely try to find some way to snatch Shinichi away sometime soon. For now the magician would take what he could get. He liked these subtle sweet gestures anyway. Even if they were strictly platonic, they were a sign that his Tantei-Kun cared about him. That was enough for today.

Hours later when the case was over and done with the four teenage boys stood outside, shivering slightly in the cool winter atmosphere. Eve's grandmother had shown up not too long ago, ready and willing to help her daughter recover from the tragedy that had occurred. When she arrived the four boys were all that remained of the group of people that had showed up to solve the gruesome murder. She was surprised, but touched that the young men had cared so much as to stay. She seemed to think they were nice enough, so Shinichi had not been so nervous when he asked if they could visit every once in a while. He wanted to make sure the little girl was going to be alright, and that her mother could take care of her properly.

Kaito had looked nothing less than heartbroken throughout the request. Shinichi dealt with murder on a regular basis. He walked hand in hand with death and tragedy, and by now a wall had been built around his heart to shield him from the pain it brought on to many others in his field. But he was only human. He had his limitations, and that wall could only hold up against so much. It had cracks and holes just like everybody else's, and one of the only things that could get through it were young children. Shinichi had always had a soft spot for kids, and that soft spot had only grown as he spent time with the Shounen Tantei. It didn't help that this was the first child murder case the detective had dealt with since he had returned from his time as Conan.

So the magician was happy that the elderly women had welcomed them to come back whenever they wanted.

"It's always good to have a babysitter at hand." She said about as happily as could be expected. "My old bones aren't what they used to be."

Kaito wasn't sure if she said that more for her sake, to remind herself that she would need the help, or Shinichi's, to tell him it was okay to care, just this once.

For now he tried to focus on the lightly falling snow covering the ground. Hakase Agasa would be arriving to pick them up soon, and from there the four of them would head over to Shinichi's house for the night. None of them felt like returning to empty houses just then, and none of them felt like sleeping alone either. The small cuts each had experienced that day were too fresh. They'd give themselves some time, a couple of days at least, then they'd be strong enough to face the world again.

When Hakase finally drove up, the four were more than ready to get away from the scene. Hattori and Hakuba were the first to rush inside and Kaito made to follow them, but stopped when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. He turned back to see that Shinichi had taken him into a sort of one armed embrace, staring at him with a heartbroken smile.

"Shin-Chan?"

Shinichi seemed to debate something for a moment. After a second he decided to take the plunge and fully envelope Kaito into his arms. Kaito could barely breathe, could hardly hear anything but his own heart thumping rapidly against his chest, and he was pretty sure his brain had just shut down. Shinichi had never come into this close of a contact with him before. He had never really done anything this intimate with anyone besides Ran, and occasionally Hattori. Absently he managed to wrap his own arms around the detective's slender waist.

"Thank you." The warm breath tickled his ear, and it took every last bit of reserve he had to keep his Poker Face in place and _not blush_. "For everything."

"What do you mean?" He commended himself for not stuttering.

He heard Shinichi laugh a little before pulling himself away from Kaito. "Thanks for not letting me get too close to depression." He said jokingly. "The world does not need another gloom ridden detective." With that said he climbed into the back seat of the car with Hattori and Hakuba.

Kaito stared at his still open arms for a second later, before happily flinging himself into the front seat. A hair ruffle, a smile, a thank you, and a hug? Well this had certainly been a good day indeed.

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MistressOfTime1218: Well this is certainly **much** longer than I anticipated.

DarkMist: Probably because of the random murder you put in.

MistressOfTime1218: Since when do I ever put anything random in a story?

K-Chan: You mean this is actually going to mean something later on?

StormBlitz: (Reading spoilers) Oh yeah, this will mean something alright.

K-Chan: How come she gets t read those?!

MistressOfTime1218: Because she helped fine tune a portion of this story. Anyway, a shout out goes to lins-sisters who really wanted this to be updated. Though, with the mood of this chapter I'm not so sure this makes a good Christmas gift. I'll have to come up with something better for you. A special thanks to whoever sent me the rose in their review, it really made me smile. And thank you to all who took the time to review. Love you all!


	3. Flying High

MistressOfTime1218: You'll notice that this chapter was edited a bit. I was made aware of a few mistakes, and some confusing aspects, to the last post that I had apparently missed. I hope this clears it up. If not, please let me know what I can do to fix them.

* * *

Shinichi stepped into the principal's office with a slightly confused and a slightly relieved expression. The events of the murder case earlier that week was still reeling in his mind like some horrible movie you just could not seem to get off the screen. He had done a decent job of pulling himself together long enough to attend his classes, even fool Ran into thinking he was alright, but the sting in his heart was still present. He had thought that the police force would give him a break after that one, but it seemed as though he might have been wrong in assuming so.

Oh well. He would welcome the distraction with open arms. Even if it was too soon for a case, he would much rather be out doing some common good rather than suffer in class. He couldn't hide his emotions forever, especially if Ran started poking around. She was still too good at reading him like an open book. He would have to do something about that soon.

The principal looked up from his desk lazily. Shinichi had been in his office many times before. Never for disciplinary reasons, but the police always figured getting him out of school this way was better than simply asking him to leave on his own. The principal had objected the first couple of times, but the poor man had been outnumbered and outwitted. In the end he did just as the police wanted.

Still, that didn't mean he liked it. "This is becoming a bad habit on your part Kudo." Shinichi got the feeling he was irritated. "You shouldn't get too used to it."

Shinichi smiled in spite of himself. He had no idea why this particular school official was on bad terms with him -did he put someone important to him in jail or something?- but the detective often found it easier to just take in everything the other said with a smile. Not only did that avoid the issue of a fight, but it also annoyed the balding man terribly.

A small cough brought his attention to his left where another, much more pleasant, acquaintance stood. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile Shinichi found himself relived to see. "Hakuba."

Said detective gave a small bow before walking towards his Japanese friend. "Sorry to disturb you at school Shinichi, but it appears that the police can't seem to do a thing without us."

The brunette shrugged lightly. "Do they ever?" He turned to his principal with a smile that he hoped was sincere. "Am I free to go?"

The principal waved him off with an overly exhausted hand. "Just be sure to finish the work Kudo."

As if he needed to be told that. He had done enough playing catch up after his return. Not only school related, but the police had also been anxiously awaiting his return to their midst. They had much to ask him, and he had never been one to refuse to help another. Still, he had no desire to add anymore to his already heavy workload.

He smiled politely before walking right out the door with Hakuba. If the old man had something else to say, Shinichi was in no mood to hear it. He had been in no mood to attend school to begin with, and his bad attitude didn't change much until the two detectives were a good few blocks away from the insufferable building. Honestly, that place was like a prison when his emotions were running amuck, and trying to keep them in check was exhausting. He was relieved that he had gotten out of there earlier than he had planned, even if it was because of a new case.

Hakuba seemed quick to recognize his discomfort. He waited a few minutes, just allowing the two of them to walk in comfort silence, but soon it got to a point where he just had to ask, "Are you alright?" Hakuba's voice was soothing as usual, calming in itself so that Shinichi could relax. He had been using that tone of voice **a lot** around the detective lately.

"Just tired." Shinichi answered honestly, probably for the first time that day. He had gotten so used to lying and hiding his true feelings, that by now it was almost second nature to him. "That last assignment is still sticking with me."

"With me as well it seems." Hakuba smiled reassuringly, grabbing the eastern detectives hand and leading him towards some unknown location. To where, Shinichi did not know.

All he knew was that it was nowhere near the police station, for it was the complete opposite of the direction where they were walking in. So unless they had magically transported the building from point A to point B, then the station was not their destination at all. This was odd. "Um, Hakuba, where exactly is this case of yours?" If they weren't headed towards the police station, then Hakuba must have already informed Megure-Keibu that he would be bringing Shinichi, and the two of them would show up at the scene of the crime that was being committed.

Hakuba only tightened the hold of his hand a fraction, and shook his head while keeping his eyes on the path ahead. "There is no case."

Shinichi blinked repeatedly, looking from the direction of the school he had exited, even though by now he was unable to see it, to the English detective in front of him. "Then why did you tell-"

"That principal of yours is oddly infuriating." Hakuba said casually. "He refused to let me see you under any other circumstance. I've noticed you've been feeling rather down and thought I'd do something to help." He turned around, bright smile dancing on his lips, eyes vibrant and mischievous. "I had to get a little…creative to make it happen."

Shinichi found he could not stop the smirk that appeared on his face. "You lied."

Hakuba glanced back at him in false innocence. "Me lie? Never." Shinichi noted that Hakuba not only looked guilty, with a hint of sly cunning, but also slightly seductive. Even more surprising than that, was that the British detective was able to pull it off without a flaw. "I simply bent the truth to serve my purposes."

Shinichi chuckled and allowed himself to be guided by the blondes gentle hand. Leave it to Hakuba to surprise you in the most interesting of ways. "So there had to have been a speck of truth in there somewhere. The key question is where?"

Hakuba only looked back for a second, just long enough to smile at him, before stopping in front of a train station located near Teitan High. Shinichi blinked. How had he not noticed that this had been their destination? He had taken this train dozens of times before. It was the same one he took when Hattori or Hakuba called him out to a case right after school, and it was also the one Kaito took when he wanted to pay Shinichi a surprise visit during his final classes. And it was only a little ways off from where his school was. How long had they been walking? Better yet, how much of a daze was he in that he didn't kno the answer to any of the previous questions?

"Why-"

"Now, even though I said there was no case that needed our attention, there is a bit of a mystery that I would like your opinion on."

Shinichi blinked. Hakuba was throwing him for a bit of a loop today. That would be a first. "Mystery?" Was his brilliant response.

"Yes. As I was sitting at home the other night, curled up with my favorite Holmes novel, I wondered what you do if it were me in this kind of funk."

Shinichi blinked again. "Well, personally, I would try to get you away from anything that would depress you any further."

Hakuba nodded happily. "My thoughts exactly, which was why I surmised that getting you out of that building was the best course of action."

Shinichi would have to say that he was impressed. "And our reason for being at the train station?"

"Well, where would you take me to forget all that was haunting me?"

"Somewhere I knew you loved, or somewhere I knew you'd enjoy going to."

"Brilliant." Shinichi had to admit that Hakuba's smile was brilliant as well. "So tell me, Shinichi, where do you want to go?"

Shinichi was speechless. The other could not possibly mean…but then why were they there…and how could? "You can't mean what I think you mean?"

Hakuba only nodded.

"It would be too much."

"I don't mind spending it on you."

"It's too much of a trouble."

"It's worse to see you so upset."

"You don't have to do this."

Hakuba lightly placed his hand on Shinichi's shoulder, and smiled brightly as he looked right into his friend's eyes. "I want to." He said softly, drawing in the surprised teen before him. Before Shinichi could argue any further, or try to get rid of the tint of red that had suddenly appeared on his face, Hakuba turned around and made a show of stretching. "Besides, today we get a discount if we fly as a family."

Shinichi managed to get a hold of himself long enough to ask, "Family? No offense, but we don't look like we're related."

He could have sworn he heard the other mutter something along the lines of 'thank god' but before he could question it Hakuba started speaking again. "All a family really is to these people is a group of three or more individuals who can stand to be in the same room together."

"And our third member?"

Hakuba simply smirked. "Leave that to me."

* * *

Hakuba was just full of surprises today, Shinichi could not help but think as he was handed a giggling baby girl. She smiled at him once he had her settled in his arms, hands brushing over his face in fond recollection of who he was and what he meant to her.

"Hello Eve." He whispered happily to the child.

Hakuba shook hands with her grandmother after receiving what could only be a baby bag full of everything she would need. He was thankful that she had been able to arrive at the airport on time. Days before weekends were always busy, and traffic was usually a nightmare. When that happened the terminal was merciless to anyone unfortunate enough not to be able to keep up. This included elderly women carrying babies.

"Now she's hasn't eaten much since this morning, so she'll be hungry soon." The old woman explained. "She'll eat the baby food but if she gets fussy try to find something strawberry. They're her favorite."

Shinichi smiled. "Mine too."

The old woman smiled. "Are you two sure you'll be alright?"

Hakuba politely waved off her concern. "We'll be perfectly fine. She's comfortable with us and I dare say we very much adore her."

That seemed to please the grandmother very much. "I assume you'll be back before long?"

Hakuba nodded. "We'll have her back by Sunday evening at the latest. Will that be alright?"

She nodded. "Her mother hasn't been feeling very well, and it gets difficult taking care of both my babies."

Hakuba did not like the sound of that too much. It seemed as though the mother was tiring out the grandmother even more than Eve was. That could only mean that she was doing nothing to help the development of her daughter. That was something he would have to look into later.

"Will you get into trouble with your parents?"

Shinichi held back a snort. "Mine won't mind, since it isn't a school night." They probably wouldn't mind even if it was.

"And my parents won't be too cross with me taking a small vacation. It's only a few days."

"Well then I won't keep you any longer. Call if something goes wrong, and, oh!" She reached down beside her to pick up two small duffel bags, one red and one blue. "One for you," She passed the red one to Hakuba, waiting until he had it strapped over his shoulder before she passed him the blue one. "And one for your friend."

Shinichi blinked. "Come again?"

Hakuba smiled slyly. "You didn't think I'd whisk you away without giving you the necessities to do so? Or did you want to keep washing that same set of clothes for the next four days?"

Shinichi looked down to Eve. "I believe I have just been teased." She giggled, and he was reminded of a small dilemma with Hakuba's plan. "She doesn't have a passport."

Eve's grandmother handed Hakuba a little book, smiling at Shinichi's surprise. "She was baptized in Rome, just like her brothers. She had to have a passport to get there."

Touché. "_I_ don't have my passport."

This time it was Hakuba who pulled out a little book.

Shinichi blinked yet again. "How did you get all of this?" Please don't be a Kaito who sneaks into people's houses because he just wants to visit them at _three_ in the morning, Shinichi mentally pleaded.

The soft smile he received assured him that this was not the case. "I informed your professor friend of my plan yesterday, and he was happy to help me see to it that you had no reason to refuse the offer because of inconveniences." Suddenly a look, one that Shinichi could not seem to identify (He would never know that it was an instance of panic on Hakuba's part), crossed the Englishman's face. "Do you not want to go?"

This time it was Shinichi who smiled softly. He adjusted Eve in his arms. "No, I want to go. Thank you for this." The positively beaming look he received was more than worth the answer.

The intercom called for the boarding of the next flight heading out of the country, and Shinichi and Hakuba waved off Eve's grandmother before heading inside the plane. Shinichi smiled so much during the walk to his window seat that Eve was able to feel his happiness from inside his arms. She could not help but become happy too, which only made Shinichi smile more. He even laughed when the little girl tried to give him a sloppy little kiss on his nose. It made Hakuba overjoyed to know how _genuine_ that happiness really was. Shinichi had been faking that emotion far too much lately and the English boy could tell that it was starting to hurt. To see the other like this, so at ease with true feeling, put him into a particularly good mood.

Until the man sitting in front of him them decided to be an inconsiderate jerk. He took one look at the three of them and promptly scoffed. He turned around and muttered loudly, "Great. Two homos and a baby. Just what I need."

Both detectives sent matching glares to the seat in front of them, and Eve stopped laughing in order to send the man an almost identical glare. Great, just what they needed, an ignorant loudmouth on a plane. Had they not just put away a jerk like him days ago?

Shinichi got this sly smile on his face, and leaned down to whisper in Eve's ear. "You have my full permission to tick this guy off as much as you'd like."

Hakuba could almost swear that Eve returned that smile.

* * *

Kaito was used to seeing rather odd things in both his civilian life and his night time career. When dealing with immortal bleeding gems and insane organizations it more or less came with the territory. Which was why he had not been bothered too much when Hattori almost knocked him over in broad daylight on his way home from school. He had also not been put off by the way the detective was waving around a card of some sort, proclaiming something about Hakuba being smarter than they thought. It was only once he saw what was on that card that he started worrying.

Looking back at him from the front of the card was a small group. A brunette teenager was standing next to a blonde boy around the same age whose arm had been put around his shoulders. In the brunettes arms was a young baby smiling and reaching out to the camera. The three of them were in front of a large clock tower smiling sincerely. Kaito instantly knew who the three of them were. Shinichi, Eve, and _Hakuba_!

"They're in London?!"

Hattori answered in the affirmative. "Hakuba just up n' took Kudo n' Eve out to a little weekend getaway to Europe. Just the three of them and miles of space you can't cross."

"Why London?"

"Hello! Who's the biggest Holmes freak on the face of this world? Kudo, that's who! And where does this favorite fictional hero live? London, that's where!" Hattori grabbed the magician by the sides of his face and proceeded to jump right into his personal space. "You're starting to slack. How could you have let this happen?"

"I don't know!" Kaito pulled away from Hattori and roughly pulled at the hairs of his head. "How bad is this?"

"The Brits got Kudo to himself for about four days and three nights. He's also got Eve tagging along for some 'parental boding' between him and Kudo. How bad do you think this is?"

Kaito promptly banged his head against the nearest wall. Hakuba wasn't messing around here. This called for more desperate measures.

* * *

MistressOfTime1218: There you have it.

K-Chan: What the heck is this?!

MistressOfTime1218: What?

K-Chan: Hakuba made a romantic getaway? What's that all about?!

DarkMist: Makes Kid's little confession seem like nothing.

MistressOfTime1218: You honestly thought I would make this easy? It's a competition. Hakuba _is_ going to fight back.

K-Chan: But-

DarkMist: Ha!

MistressOfTime1218: Anyway, read and review please. I like to hear feedback as to how I'm doing. I'm not sure whether or not my writings are starting to slip.

StormBlitz: I have but one question. How did that card get to Kaito that quickly?

MistressOfTime1218: Watson was sent out right after the picture had been taken. Let's just say he's a speedy flyer.

StormBlitz: Is that your excuse?

MistressOfTime1218: Yes it is.


	4. The Plot Thickens

Shinichi had a tendency to look more angelic than he realized when he was asleep. When looking at him like this, curled up on one of their hotel beds, with Eve securely in his arms, letting the baby clutch at him gently, Shinichi looked like nothing less than a saint.

Silently, Hakuba went about turning off every light in their suite. First was the one in the small kitchen. He could still smell the faint aroma of the strawberry cheesecake they had devoured for dinner. It had been a new concept to the British detective who had always been a proper dinner-before-dessert kind of guy. But Shinichi had been very persuasive, what with the way he and Eve ganged up on him with matching pouts and quivering lips. Honestly, how was he supposed to say no to that?

Next went the bathroom light. There was still water left on the floor from when the detectives had tried to give Eve a bath. She had been very good for the first few minutes of bath time. They had filled up the entire bathtub with vanilla scented bubbles that the baby apparently adored, and dressed her in a cute little bathing suit her grandmother had thought to pack. But then she got lonely. She cried and whined and splashed about until Shinichi finally had to go get a pair of shorts and climb in with her. She was appeased for a little while, but then she started reaching for Hakuba. The tub had not been big enough for all three of them, but Hakuba had seated himself on the edge, letting only his feet get wet, while Shinichi stayed in the water with her.

Then the sitting room light was turned off. They had spent the last few hours before bed having a mini movie night. Hakuba had rented out the new Sherlock Holmes movie and Shinichi had been eager to watch. Eve had been surprisingly interested in the film as well. She had at numerous times pointed out things on the screen that Shinichi and Hakuba had failed to notice. Maybe they had a little lady Holmes on their hands. Better than some kind of Arsene Lupin or Irene Alder.

The final light dimmed was the one belonging to the bedroom. After the artificial light was gone, all that remained was untainted moonlight. It was not full tonight, Hakuba almost wished it was, but that did not make its beams any less mystical. They extended to Shinichi's sleeping face and seemed to settle there like some long lost friend who finally found their way back home. Hakuba could not tear his gaze away from that peaceful expression his colleague wore. So after he pulled up the blankets to cover both the detective and Eve, he allowed himself to remain at Shinichi's side just a bit longer.

The baby was being comfortably cocooned by her protective detective. In a sense, she had been since Shinichi took her from her grandmother. In fact a good portion of this vacation had been spent with the two substitute parents bonding with their daughter. It was work well spent, however, as it allowed Hakuba to see a parentally caring side of Shinichi that was usually kept under tight lock and key. Funny how it had taken a baby, an even bigger one than Kaito, to open up the present day Holmes that much.

It seemed that she had beaten Hakuba at his own game. She had unintentionally unlocked the heart of Shinichi Kudo, and gained his love far easier than anyone else ever had. Hakuba could almost be jealous. But…

He patted her gently on the head. "I don't mind losing, if it's to you." Eve made a sleepy gurgling sound. "Better to concede defeat to such a worthy opponent."

He smiled lightly to himself for a moment before walking over to the second bed and tucking himself in. This would be their last night in London. Tomorrow they would have to return to Japan where the rest of their friends, and Kaito, would be waiting for them. Hakuba would feel terrible about it in the morning. For now he had moonbeams and two sets of starlight. That was enough for him

* * *

Kaito had never been a fan of busy airports. They were crowded, loud, and they usually reeked of whatever bad smelling objects had just been dragged into the country. He usually never ventured off into them unless he had a heist on the line. Flying was what his hand glider was for, thank you very much. The only reason he was at one now was because Shinichi would be getting off his plane any minute now, and Hattori was there to suffer with him as well.

But it was sure taking Shinichi a long time to get off that flight.

"What time is it?" He asked Hattori.

"6:05."

"And what time did Shin-Chan say he'd get here?"

"5:30."

"So why isn't he here yet?" Kaito whined, though why he expected Hattori to know the answer to that was beyond him.

"Maybe they got held up? Eve is with them. Maybe they needed to change her diaper and are taking a while in the bathroom."

"It takes women 5 minutes to change a diaper."

"Then it would take us guys at least a half an hour to do the same."

Kaito pouted, but ultimately did not dispute the claim. If he did, Hattori would probably make him put his money where his mouth was by actually changing Eve's diaper. He adored the little girl, but what came out of her was a different story.

Twenty minutes later, and detective and thief were still waiting at the terminal. Every second that passed by prompted Kaito's eye to begin twitching profusely. Finally he threw his hands up in the air and trudged over to one of the customer service desks. These people would tell him if Shinichi's plane had been delayed, or even if it had not landed yet at all. Hakuba would do something as sneaky as plan a later flight for their return back to Japan. He knew Kaito was impatient. He probably thought he could get away with such a thing. Kaito would show him.

He maneuvered his way to the front of the busy line easily. It helped that he had Hattori take the brunt of whatever verbal abuse the magician's cutting stunt had aroused. When the Ekoda student was finally face to face with one of the airport workers, he presented the woman on duty with a delicate white rose.

"Excuse me miss," He said charmingly. "But a friend of mine was supposed to arrive at this airport about an hour ago. I've yet to see him."

The young lady blushed as she took the rose from his hand. Kaito already knew she'd do whatever he'd ask. "Does this friend have a name?"

Kaito smiled brightly. "Why yes he does. It's Shinichi Kudo."

The girl immediately dropped the blush and adopted an exited smile. "You're a friend of Meitantei-San?"

"Yeah, have you seen him?" Apparently he wasn't the only fan the Detective of the East had. He should have known better. Shinichi had fans all over the place, of every taste and type.

The girl nodded vigorously. Kaito was almost worried her head was going to pop off. "He arrived at around 3:30 this afternoon."

"3:30!" Then why the hell had he been told around five? The magician turned to Hattori. "You're the one who got the call from Shin-Chan right?"

Hattori shook his head. "It wasn't a call. It was a text message."

Kaito didn't like the sound of that at all. Shinichi never sent texts unless he was on a case or in hiding. Any other time he liked to deliver his messages vocally. "Let me see the number."

Hattori tossed over his cell phone. Kaito scrolled over to the recently received messages, and then proceeded to throw the phone right back at Hattori's head.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You idiot! Do you know whose number that is?" Hattori blinking was enough of an answer. "It's Hakuba's!"

"And that gives you a right to try and take my head off?"

"Why would Hakuba give you the right time of their landing? It would only give me an opportunity to be all over Shin-Chan when they got here."

"So he lied?"

"Congrats detective, you win a cookie."

Hattori did not appreciate the sarcastic tone.

* * *

"Look, I said I was sorry okay?"

Kaito slumped down even further into the passenger seat. "You're secretly helping out Hakuba, aren't you?"

"You know that's not true."

"So you just hate me?"

"I do not."

"Then why are you ruining my life?"

"Stop acting like such a girl!" Hattori nearly bashed his head against the steering wheel. "God, Kudo's gone for one weekend and you get overly hormonal. Go back to being the real Kaito would ya?"

Kaito couldn't help it. He had always been a sore loser. Especially when the game's prize was something he honestly wanted. He was a simple teenager. He didn't' want much. Just Pandora, the death of the organization, Hakuba to be alone forever, a lot of undivided attention, his mom and Aoko to always be his stable home life, unfiltered adoration, to be KID for as long as he could, and Shinichi. Was that too much to ask for?

"So," Hattori's voice broke into his inner musings. "Where else would they be?"

"They dropped Eve off around four, so I really have no idea where else that devil could drag Shin-Chan too."

"Well the prick's maid he hasn't gone home yet."

"The professor hasn't seen Shin-Chan, but he does want us to call him when we figure out how Shinichi managed to get ready for that trip so quickly."

Hattori blew out a low whistle. "He even managed to slip under the old man's radar? I have to hand it to the Brit. He's good."

One solid glare from Kaito stopped the Osakan's next few attempts at speaking.

A soft rumble alerted Kaito to the cell phone in his pocket. Quicker than the blink of an eye, the device was out of its confinement and in the magician's hand. "Shin-Chan?"

An unwelcomed chuckle was his response. "Not quite Kuroba."

Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Hakuba. Back so soon? I was sort of hoping you would have stayed in London."

"I'm sure you were, but I'm afraid not. Shinichi and I have returned home, and have finished off the weekend splendidly."

"Splendidly?" Just what did he mean by that?

"Yes. After we landed and returned Eve to her grandmother, the two of us decided to go out for dinner. We were going to invite you two to join us, but you didn't show up to greet us."

"That's because you gave us the wrong time."

"Oops. My deepest apologies. I must have made a mistake." Oh and how unapologetic that voice did sound.

"You son of a- How did you do this? Shin-Chan had to have clothes and toiletries for this trip. There was no way he would have gotten them on his own for something like this."

"I'll ignore for the moment that you insinuated that Shinichi would never go anywhere with me of his own free will. As for the personal items, I assure you he had them."

"What, did you sneak into his room to get them?"

"I'm not you Kuroba. I simply asked someone with access to his house to get them for me."

"The professor wouldn't have done that." He was on Kaito's side after all.

"Who said it was the professor?"

"You asked Ran?" He shivered at the mere mention of the name, and he could almost swear that Hakuba did the same on the other line.

"I don't have a death wish."

"Then who?"

"Haibara."

Kaito swore he had just forgotten how to breathe. "Ai-Chan!"

Hattori snatched away the phone before Kaito had the chance to throw it somewhere. Pressing the speaker button he tossed it to the back seat, out of Kaito's immediate reach.

"Where is Kudo by the way?"

"At home fast asleep. He was rather tired when he saw me to his door."

"And you are where?"

"I have just walked through my door."

For two whole minutes Kaito tried to silently convince Hattori to drive into Ekoda towards the British detective's home. Hattori blatantly refused, saying he was not going to be held responsible for any kind of violent act the magician was ready to commit.

By the fourth minute Hakuba had decided it best to say his farewells, and litter his room with various fish paraphernalia. "Just to let you both know, Shinichi invited the three of us to attend the upcoming Kid heist. See you there. Goodnight."

The phone was disconnected. For a long time there was an enraged silence passing through the car. Only one thought went through each mind.

For Hattori it was getting Kaito home without any destruction.

For Kaito it was deciding the most humiliating way to get back at Hakuba at the heist next week.

* * *

"I told you we should have gotten here earlier!"

Three detectives struggled to push through the crowds of avid Kaitou KID fans. These people were nothing if not fiercely devoted to holding their spot in the large mass. Apparently each and every one of them was convinced that sometime during the criminals chase, KID would take time away from escaping to look down towards their _exact_ location and somehow be swayed over to them. From there they would either become a friend or a lover of the renowned thief, and live happily ever after.

Honestly, some people were that obsessive. It certainly made it difficult to get past them.

Shinichi nearly screamed after the fifth elbow to his nose. "Whose bright idea was it to leave so late?" This was exactly why he was always fashionably early to these types of things. "Kaito's probably already mixed up somewhere in this mess."

Hattori had finally had enough, and pushed one of the fans out of his way. "It's not my fault Kazuha wouldn't let me out the door."

Hakuba sidestepped a fighting pair of fans before trudging forward with the other detectives again. "You could have told us she'd try to stop you before we offered to pick you up."

"Then you would have left me behind ahou!"

When they succeeded in getting behind the yellow police tape that restricted the crowd's movement, they all heaved a collective sigh of relief. Deciding against walking into the museum looking like they had been ravished by their own fans, they decided to straighten up before meeting up with Nakamori-Keibu. Hattori righted his cap and revamped his jacket. Hakuba wiped off his shoes and pressed down the wrinkles on his suit.

Shinichi was in the middle of retying his tie, momentarily thinking of getting rid of the mangled thing altogether, when his eye caught sight of something. A little ways down there was a man clothed in a winter hat and a heavy coat. He was speaking with a police officer who kept looking around for something. Though unusual, what really caught his attention was what was next to the first gentleman. It was a baby carriage. The baby inside of it was bright eyed and very familiar.

"Eve?"

"Yo! Kudo!"

Shinichi turned to see Hattori looking at him strangely.

"Where's yer head? I've been calling ya for the past eight minutes."

Shinichi scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I thought I saw," But when he turned back to try and show the other what he had seen, there was no one there. No one but the rabid crowd of fans they had just escaped from. "What?"

Hattori rolled his eyes. "This is no time for yer imagination to run off with ya. Come on."

Still, even as he was dragged away, Shinichi could not help but wonder if it really was his imagination.

* * *

KID had it all planned out. This would be the heist that would send Hakuba running with his tail between his legs, or his name wasn't Kaitou KID. Everything was in place. The jewel, the chase set up, the piles of glue and whipped cream. Even the various rotten food buckets were ready to be used. All he had to do was make one more round to ensure nothing would be spoiled. He did have to make certain that Shinichi and Hattori were unharmed this time, after all.

Running through the unguarded hallways in full gear, KID looked in on each of his soon to be employed gags. They looked like they'd all work properly when the time came. All he needed to do now was pull off his grand entrance to start things up.

"I thought I told you to come in from the back."

KID stopped mid step. He turned around slowly. Then he looked around carefully. No one was with him in the hallway.

"Easy for you to say. This kid is such a pain."

Hey, he was the only KID here, and he was not a pain thank you very much.

"Whatever you say. Did the grandmother see you?"

"That woman is too busy taking care of that depressed daughter of hers. The woman was practically glued to her pillow."

"That didn't answer my question."

"The kid was in the kitchen while the grandmother was upstairs. The door was open so I took it out of the highchair and bolted."

KID didn't like the sound of that. First of all, he was pretty sure he had just been listening in on a kidnapping gone right. Second of all, children were not its.

"So whose bright idea was it to meet up in this place?" A new voice asked. "Let's have a meeting in a KID target. Someplace where there are cops coming out of the wazoo." He finished sarcastically.

"It wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know the lunatic was going to pick here of all places to steal from?"

KID now had his ear pressed up against the door of the room he was certain the noises were coming from. This was not what he expected to walk in on when he woke up this morning. Just who were these people?

"So what are we supposed to do with this thing?" The first voice said. There was nothing else mentioned for another second, before KID heard a yelp of pain. "It bit me!"

"Quiet." Second voiced muttered. "That's what you get for putting your hand near its mouth."

Again with the object pronouns. That child was a person. Not an inanimate object.

Suddenly the baby inside made a sound. An astonished little noise that sounded like annoyance mixed in with slight distress. Only one baby in the world knew how to make that noise because only one baby bonded enough with the detective who practically invented it.

"Eve."

And just like that the door was thrown open. And just like that KID realized what a dumb mistake he had just made.

The baby was in fact Eve. She was indeed calling out for help as quietly as she could while glaring at the men around her. KID had thought there were only three men in the room. While he would have been outnumbered, three was no major number to take care of. But there were in fact six men in the room crowded around Eve, and they were all armed with something.

He really should have thought this through better.

Eve giggled happily and reached out for KID. Both her hands were outstretched to him, and her tongue was stuck out as she wiggled her fingers. It was an action as silly and teasing as Kaito was. In fact, he was the one who taught her how to stick out her tongue. That was, KID noted fondly, her Kaito call. She had one for each of the boys who had so quickly become like her big brothers.

She would reach out her right arm and hold onto to it with her left when she wanted Hattori. With that arrangement it was easier to grab onto his hat when he went to pick her up. She would hold out both her pinky fingers when she wanted Hakuba. The English detective had a habit of making pinky promises with the baby, so she picked up the habit when she called for him. When she wanted Shinichi, she would place her right hand over her heart and reach out to him with her left. They thought the reason she held onto her heart was because Shinichi liked to nuzzle it when he played with her.

Eve obviously knew that Kaito was KID, as shown by her magician call, and she had the upmost confidence that he would save her. Too bad KID had yet to determine just how it was he was going to do that.

With several guns raised, three out of six of them carried a handgun, the mob took their positions. One of the men armed with a firearm made his way towards the door. Making sure KID had his arms raised in surrender he closed it before he made his way back to where the others were. Together they formed a nearly impenetrable line in front of Eve.

KID didn't like that current arrangement. Usually a group would surround the obvious threat. That way they had him cornered for little to no chance of escape. The fact that they were more concerned about Eve meant that she was their top priority, and something they needed to see to first before they had time for the thief. That thought was far from comforting.

"Don't move KID-San. We have no business with you."

The thief was all too happy to make good use of his Poker Face in order to have his voice remain as calm as he outwardly appeared. He had not been 100% sure it would work at the moment. Not with Eve calling out to him and whining as though she was scared of something.

"No business with me? That's funny, seeing as you gentlemen have interrupted _my_ heist."

"Not my idea." One mumbled. "We weren't the ones who thought of this place."

KID wanted to make a joke pertaining to that, but another man spoke. "We just want the brat. We don't want to interfere with any of your business. Let us take care of it and we'll be on our way."

Alright that was enough. "She is not a brat, nor is she an 'it'. She is a very beautiful baby girl, and just what do you mean by take care of?"

A gun was cocked. Though nothing was said, the thief knew exactly what was being implied. This was not good.

"Just why would I let you slaughter an innocent child?"

"It's either her or you."

No, this was certainly not good. Just how was he supposed to get out of this one? He may have been lady lucks favorite child, but she had a tendency to overlook everyone else in his immediate vicinity. KID would be alright if he made a break for it now. But Eve,

"Oi Kudo, _why_ exactly are we over here in the middle of nowhere?"

And just like that, KID swore he had just heard angels singing a fantastic chorus of Halleluiah.

"I already told you. I just have this feeling that-"

"If we run into a corpse here of all places, I will call in for some type of hex removal service."

"Funny."

KID could not stop the relief from filtering into him when he saw their shadows from the crack under the door. "Detectives!"

* * *

Shinichi had never been one to ignore his gut feeling. Instinct was created for a reason, and that reason was not so that it could be ignored. Many times he had found out just how wonderful those instincts could be, and he had vowed long ago to pay attention to whatever they told him. No matter how ridiculous or odd, he would listen to what they had to say.

And at times like this,

"Detectives!"

He was glad he did.

Within a second all three high school detectives turned to the direction the shout was coming from. It appeared to stem from a room beside them.

"Was that KID?"

None would remember later on who had asked that question, but the next thing they all knew they were bursting into the room with such force it almost knocked down the door. Then they would recall nearly tripping over one another when they saw KID surrounded, or rather confronted with, a line of armed men. They were quickly ushered into the same position as the thief by said armed men.

Shinichi was the first to get a clear view of just what the line was obstructing. "Eve!"

Hattori and Hakuba focused their attention on the area Shinichi had his eyes on. They too confirmed who the baby was, and were just as frantic as Shinichi sounded.

"What is she doing here?"

One man brought his hand to his forehead. The signature rubbing of the temple showed he was beginning to get a headache. "Just what is with this stupid job? First a crappy location, a stubborn target, and now these four interrupting. What else could possibly go wrong?"

KID looked over to his fellow captives. A quick agreement of gazes assured him of exactly what would happen next. "This."

In a blur of movements a desperate rescue mission began. KID whipped out two of his signature smoke bombs and threw them towards the group of kidnappers. Taking advantage of the chaos, Hattori and Shinichi ran forward. Hakuba stayed back to help KID fend off anyone who chose to rush towards the thief in the sea of smoke.

When it finally cleared, it was obvious that every position had changed.

Two gunmen had rushed for KID right from the get go. Anger had obviously overtaken the logic that told them they would have been better off in the rear. KID took aim at one. The Queen of Hearts sliced through the gun he had been holding. Before the first piece of metal even fell to the ground, the thief produced a heavy dosage of his sleeping gas and sprayed it right in the face of his attacker.

Hakuba quickly ran into the face of the second man. Untrained to deal with the invasion of space, and unused to such a rash move, the man quickly jolted backwards to put some distance between him and the detective. Hakuba, however, was prepared for the motion. He grabbed the hand which held the gun and pulled it forward. The man too was pulled in the same direction, which gave the Englishman the perfect opportunity to connect his knee to his opponents gut. The man was out almost instantly.

Meanwhile Hattori had managed to grab hold of the last gunman's hands. The two were locked in a fight for a loaded weapon that had the ability to go off at any second. In a last ditch effort to limit the damage it could cause, he pointed it southwards when he saw the man in front of him reach for the trigger. The sound of a bullet piercing flesh resonated throughout the museums hollow rooms. It took Hattori a second to realize it was not his body that had been injured. It was the foot of the assailant. Taking advantage of the now lose grip on the weapon, Hattori bashed it into the skull of the kidnapper, and could not help but feel relieved once the man went down.

Shinichi had done his best to keep Eve calm. She had started crying once she heard a shot go off from one of the guns. By then the Heisei Holmes had finally gotten her out of the suddenly complicated restraints on her stroller. He knew those damn things had not been so hard to get off before. It figured they would instantly turn into a puzzle the second he needed them off fast.

Not two seconds after he had taken her out, one of the men, this one with a knife, had thrust the blade right through the material of the carriage. The position had been right where Eves head had been, and Shinichi not lifted her _up_ and had instead taken her out in a _sideways_ position, things would have turned out very ugly. Using that fear and anger to fuel his strength, he lifted his leg and delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of the man still trying to dislodge his weapon from the baby gadget. Once he saw the man on the ground, he adjusted the baby in his arms.

Only to realize there were still two other men in that room coming towards him with shimmering blades in their hands.

"Hold it!"

Three voices stopped the soon to be attackers dead in their tracks. They made the mistake of looking back, and saw that the thief and two detectives had pistols in their hands ready to be fired. Within seconds they dropped their own weapons in surrender. Then they became victims of KID's signature sleeping gas.

In minutes the four boys rustled up a sturdy piece of rope, compliments of KID, and tied up the kidnappers. Eve had taken great joy in kicking one every time Shinichi bent down to inspect whether or not each were indeed unconscious.

The room was eerily silent once the job was done. The detectives took to one side of the room, while KID took to the one opposite of them. Technically speaking, it would have been all too easy to catch KID now. He was tired from all the excitement, and most of his useful arsenal had already been used.

"Hurry up and run KID." Shinichi said at last. "The other officers will be here soon."

Neither of the other two detectives made a move to dispute the statement, or to make a grab for KID. The game had been interrupted. It would be no fun for either party to win at a time like this. They were all emotionally exhausted. All too confused to try for a victory. They were all too satisfied to let this end in a tie.

The secret rivalry between Hakuba and Kaito could wait as well. It would be selfish of them to continue their fight right now.

So KID gave a heartfelt bow and proceeded to the nearest window. The open night air was like water to a scorched throat. It meant that things had turned out just fine. It meant that something terrible had been stopped before it did any real damage. He didn't care to find out just what had been stopped just yet.

"KID."

The thief turned back around at the sound of Shinichi's voice. The smile he was met with nearly knocked him out the window.

"Thanks." The detective said sincerely. "For not letting her get hurt."

KID gave one of his signature smiles, this one modified for Shinichi's eyes alone. "Of course Tantei-Kun. You know my poli-" This time KID did slip from the edge of the window when he saw something in Shinichi's general direction. Eve had chosen then of all times to call out to him. It would have been alright, except for the fact that she was using her _Kaito Call_. Worse than that, Hakuba of all people had been the one to notice she was doing it.

Hattori and Shinichi immediately ran to the window when they saw KID fall out. When they reached the sill they were relieved to discover that the thief did indeed have his hand glider out and put to good use. Although, they noticed that he was flying in a rather odd type of flight pattern, even for him. It was almost as though he had seen something that had scared him before he had fallen out. What had made him panic so badly?

Before they could voice their question, Nakamori burst into the room demanding to know what was going on.

* * *

"Geez Kudo, remind me never to doubt you again." Hattori muttered once the three detectives were outside. "If I ever do, I'll give you the soccer ball to kick at me myself."

"I'll hold you to that Hattori."

Shinichi was exhausted. The night had not turned out as well as he had wanted, or how he had expected. It had been so disastrous even his brand of bad luck was wondering who had been so unlucky as to attract such a thing. The only good portion of the night had been when he certain Eve was safe, and even then he had refused to let her go. In his opinion, she was safer with him.

"Just let me through! I have to see Shinichi Kudo!"

Shinichi looked up to see Kaito being roughly pushed back by an unknown officer. It seemed Kaito wanted entrance to the scene behind the yellow caution tape. The officer was less than eager to let him in.

"You and everybody else here kid. Take a number"

"You don't understand. I have to speak with him. It's about a little girl we look after," Kaito searched for the familiar face beyond the barrier, and looked ready to barrel down the man standing in his way, when he finally caught sight of Shinichi. "Shin-Chan!"

Shinichi ran forward. "Kaito what's wrong?"

"It's-" The magician looked as though he might start crying when he noticed the baby his friend was holding. "Eve!"

Shinichi let the other take her from him. Kaito proceeded to kiss and hug the little girl as though he hadn't seen her in years. Eve meanwhile simply giggled at the onslaught of affection. She loved attention just as much Kaito did, especially when it was given in such thoughtful doses.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

Hattori and Hakuba pushed aside the officer beside Shinichi in order to make room for themselves. "What do you mean by that?" They asked in unison.

Kaito stopped suffocating Eve with attention for a second, much to the baby's disappointment. "Her grandmother called me about twenty minutes ago. She said someone had taken Eve and she didn't know where she was. She was afraid that the worst had happened."

"She was nearly right." Hakuba said solemnly. "If Shinichi hadn't,"

"If we all hadn't," Hattori tried to finish.

But not one of them wanted to complete the thought. What if's were always too terrible to fathom.

Shinichi reached out for Eve again. Kaito gave her up without too much of a fight. "Did she say anything else?"

Kaito shook his head. "Only that she wanted us to find her. You three are detectives after all."

Shinichi nodded before stomping down the caution tape and proceeded to walk away while an officer tried to reprimand him for the offence. Instead of worrying about such a thing, he began briskly walking off in a random direction. The others followed him without thinking twice.

"We'll call Sanako-San." He said softly. "We'll let her know that Eve's fine and she'll be staying with us for the night."

The other three blinked. "Us?"

Shinichi did not turn back to look at them. "I don't want her back at that house, not right now. And I know I won't be able to sleep unless she's near me." This time he did look at them from the corner of his eye. "I assume you're all the same?"

The three fished out their cell phones before Shinichi had time to finish his sentence. The Detective of the East smiled lightly before taking out his own.

"Eleanor? Please tell father that I'll be staying over at a friend's house this evening. I'll be sure to make it home in time for school tomorrow."

"Ahou! Of course I know what time it is. I just called to tell ya I won't be home for a bit… You don't need to know why!"

"Hi mom. No I can't make it home this late. So I'll be spending the night over at Shin-Chan's. Is that okay?"

"Yes she's fine. We found her at the KID heist of all places. I'll see to it she gets to you tomorrow after school lets out."

Eve smiled and dozed off into a light slumber. She would let her detectives take care of the rest of the nights work. Right then, she was very sleepy.

* * *

MistressOfTime1218: That. Took. FOREVER to finish! So much went into writing this. The heist, the fight, the baby, the plot twist, and Hattori's way of talking is driving me up a wall! I'm drained.

K-Chan: At least it's out.

DarkMist: And not too bad, considering you suck at writing action scenes.

MistressOfTime1218: …Thanks. You always know just the right things to say.

StormBlitz: So you finally got the main plot going? Nice.

K-Chan: Wait…was that a plot hint?

DarkMist: This wasn't some pointless filler chapter?

StormBlitz: Pay attention, will you?

MistressOfTime1218: Please R&R. This is one of the longer chapters and I want to know what people think about it. See you next time!


	5. A Thought Arises

Shinichi could tell when someone was following him. After years of assassins, murderers, and all too eager fan girls stalking him at every turn, he tended to recognize the signs of an unwanted companion quite easily. And to be quite honest, the ones following him now were nowhere near as good as any of the former. Not in skill, execution, or in good common sense. They hardly knew what they were doing.

For one thing, they knew next to nothing about dressing inconspicuously. Most people who walked the streets of Beika did not flaunt heavy coats and sunglasses. Granted, the detective would give them a pass on the heavy coats because winter was still holding onto the country with an iron grip. He would even excuse the clichéd using of the ever popular trench coats. They may have been commonly used in old black and white films, but if they were warm he had no place in commenting.

The sunglasses, though, those needed to go. The sun had barely graced the country with its presence since winter started. If they wanted to hide their faces, they would have been better off using ski masks, and that was saying something.

Kaito sure would have had something to say about the way they wore their wigs too. The magician always painstakingly made sure his disguises would never be questioned under normal circumstances. Meaning he never gave anyone a reason to think he was not who he said he was until it was time for a big reveal. These guys did not seem to take that kind of philosophy to heart.

It actually annoyed the detective. If they were going to wear wigs without properly fastening them, they could have at least picked ones that matched their current shade. Red with brown roots did not strike most people as normal.

Shinichi was also quick to notice that his followers, four separate men if he counted correctly, did not fully grasp the art of acceptable distance. They were too close at the wrong times and too far when the moments were too inappropriate. He knew for a fact they kept losing him because nine times out of ten they could not hide the exhaustion or irritation on their faces when he spotted them again.

Honestly, they did not have to work this hard at something so simple. They knew his schedule by now. Or, at least, they knew the schedule he had purposely allowed them to memorize. With that information they could have prepared a better plan of action than the one they were bumbling.

Did he not even deserve proper stalking anymore?

Apparently, he was not the only one dealing with a less than welcome entourage. Hattori had called him up not too long ago to rave about how some suspicious characters kept trailing his every move. The Osakan was even more irritated than Shinichi was. Did these people not realize how difficult it was to focus on your normal daily routine, or whatever daily routine you faked, when there were amateurs trying to hide out in every obvious corner?

It was sad really. Hattori likened the situation to a game of hide and seek with small children. Although the adults no doubt already knew where the small children were, they needed to play pretend and act as though they had absolutely no clue. However, it was difficult to act like you had no clue when the kid was two feet away from you, feet actually showing, from a bulging curtain that should not have been giggling. They were trying to spare these people's feelings, at least until they knew who they were, but the guys were not making it easy.

Hakuba was having troubles of his own. Though, perhaps because he was the child of a police chief, he was not seeing nearly as much of these men as his two friends were. And they certainly never appeared when he was with his family or other police officers. However, his favorite path to school had been plagued with several too obvious visitors who showed their faces nearly every other day.

The only one not getting tailed so carelessly was Kaito, and he was actually annoyed with that fact. "I mean, I can understand them stalking Shin-Chan, and maybe even Hattori, but Hakuba? I think these guys need to find something better to do with their time."

If the blonde had not had Eve in his arms, he would have likely reached over and slapped the magician in the face. As it was, he had to settle for glaring. It would be unwise to cause a scene anyway, regardless of who was baiting who. It had been nearly a month since the four of them had been able to get together like this, and spoiling the occasion so selfishly would quickly make him lose favor with his favorite colleague.

The four of them rarely had any spec of free time at all, let alone days off, and never had those instances fallen on the same time frame as the others. When one was free, the other three seemed to always be preoccupied with some business or emergency. At best, two of them could get together at one time without being called away.

Truth be told, it was so common amongst them that they had not given it a second thought until Eve's grandmother called Shinichi, asking for one of them to baby sit the little girl one afternoon. She would have to take her daughter to a therapy session, and for once Eve was asked not to attend. It left the old woman in quite a tough spot, so she called Shinichi as a last resort when begging and pleading did nothing to sway the therapist. She thought it was a good idea. They had not seen her in weeks, not after that frightening heist night, and the elderly woman thought that the baby might feel more at ease if one of her favorite boys were around as opposed to a complete stranger.

Needless to say, Shinichi called the other three boys in his circle of friends and they all immediately cleared their schedules for that day.

Presently, the four teenagers were in Sanako's living room, sitting on the floor passing Eve around every few minutes. These days the baby was moving her legs more and more, and she could stand well enough with one of the boys holding her up. She could also sit up on her own, though she did wobble from time to time. Their goal was to get her to crawl by the time her mother and grandmother came home. Smart as they were, they had not yet come up with a suitable method to accomplish that goal.

"I think you're missing the point." Hakuba told his classmate, passing Eve on to Hattori. "People we don't know are following our every move, and even though they are far from efficient, they seem to be serious in their intentions."

The magician rolled his eyes. "Ever heard of a joke, Hakuba?"

"I'll have to agree with Saguru on this one." Shinichi said. "Whoever these men are, they mean business, and they're dumb enough to think that what they do can't be noticed."

Kaito pouted. "Sorry. But don't you think you're taking this too seriously? If they can't even hide from you, what makes you think they can hurt you?"

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day," The detective reminded him. "And I wouldn't need to worry about it so much if they knew something about what they were doing. What concerns me the most is what might happen to other people if they manage to get whatever it is they're planning done correctly."

Kaito wished, as Eve was handed to him, that detectives would speak plain Japanese every now and again. Sometimes they failed to realize that not everyone spoke complex paranoia and puzzles every second of every day. Granted, he was not one to talk, being the keeper of two very mentally complex personas, but at least he knew to turn those on and off when the situation called for it. They could at least show him the same respect.

Of course, that bitter line of thinking could be attributed to the detectives in his life constantly thinking he was absolutely ignorant of the way things worked in the real world. He was a magician, which they were quick to forget was not the same as an ignorant clown. A clown made stupidity into something to laugh at because he knew nothing else. A magician made the ordinary into magic, something the world was seriously missing, and made people smile because he truly knew the horrors in the world. He just wanted people to be happy in spite of it all.

These three were apparently missing the point. "Sorry for not understanding. I'll try to stick to things I know something about for next time. Anything else I shouldn't bother thinking about?"

Shinichi's eyes softened, a silent apology forming in blue depths. "Kaito, I don't mean to sound cruel, it's just...I just..." He ran a hand through his hair. "Things are bad enough when evil psychopaths decide they want to make complex plans where nobody has any clue of what's going on. When that happens I can't stop any given target from being hurt."

"However," Hakuba decided that now would be a good time to jump into the conversation. Better to save the brunette a headache and constant explanations. "When these criminals have no clue what it is they're doing, getting their intended target becomes a game of Russian roulette. They either succeed or take down someone innocent as a result of their failure. Worse, even if they do fail that horribly, they won't care. They'll just try again."

Kaito shuffled about as much as he could while still holding onto Eve before deciding that the baby need to be passed onto Hakuba. "I didn't mean that I didn't understand why you were worried about them _succeeding_. I only meant that you know who these guys are, and you know how bad they are at what they do. Can't you just go and round them up now?"

Hattori snorted. At the glare he received, he smiled sheepishly and scratched at the back of his head. Right, help Kaito, not make him look like an idiot.

It was just that, how could he explain the situation so that Kaito could understand the dilemma? Kaito worked on an entirely different page than the three of them did. They were detectives, policemen in training basically, and they had their own belief systems that were very seriously based in working with the law, not against it. Their hands were tied until the wannabe assailants actually did something illegal. Which was why they were so worried. No one knew what these guys wanted, and no one knew whether they could resolve the problem peacefully, or if they were going to have to fight their way to a decent outcome. And if it came to such extremes, who would be taken down with them? How many innocent people would be hurt just so these goons could get what they wanted?

"We can't just go pick them up off the street." He settled for saying instead. "That's called kidnapping."

Eve shrieked loudly at the word, almost as if she had seen a dead body fall down before her, and Hakuba found that he could not hold onto her when she was flailing about and crying so terribly. After a kick came too close to his face, he handed her over to Shinichi, who rocked and cooed her back to a calm state. It was amazing how much of an easy time the brunette had with the child, considering that he was barely ever patient with anybody his own age. Or anybody who was old enough to know better, for that matter.

Hattori could only look on, confused and slightly guilty at the reaction that he had caused. "What just happened?"

Kaito looked at the baby, clutching for all she worth to the front of Shinichi's shirt. "Don't tell me she actually understood what he just said."

"I won't tell you then." The modern day Holmes muttered under his breath. "She's not dumb you know."

"No, but she's not even one yet."

Hakuba rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt she knows the definition of the word, but she's no doubt noticed that it's not a good thing. Every time someone's mentioned it aloud, the people around her react badly, either by crying or suddenly becoming solemn. Babies have been known to notice things most adults take for granted." He placed a hand under his chin in thought. "They're actually pretty observant as well. Some studies have shown that they can spot oncoming trouble a bit better than their parents."

Shinichi suddenly felt his body grow stiff. Eve was quick to notice, and she tugged a bit on his hair to get his attention. He hardly noticed.

Hakuba brought up an interesting point, and also brought to mind a particularly eerie pattern Shinichi had been noticing in the local media. Kids had been disappearing. To be more specific, very young children had gone missing. They were all under the age of one, and they all fit a very certain physical description. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and all of the female persuasion, the paper's had reported. Three had so far gone missing in the past few weeks, and two had been recovered in a nearby body of water. The third was still being searched for. From what the media presented, it was highly unlikely that the ending would be very pleasant.

Shinichi himself was not deeply involved with the case, most likely due to Megure-Keibu blatantly refusing to bring the boy into something that might destroy him. Because of that, the brunette could make no assumptions on who could have been behind it all or what their motives could have been. He could not even be certain that all the cases were related to one another in any way. He was as out of the loop as everyone else was.

However, he did know one thing for certain, and that was that he did not believe in coincidences. Not when there were so much of them in so short a time frame. Three babies of the exact same physical description, all but one murdered in the exact same way, separated in time by a mere seven days. He could say nothing about the time, but the method and description of deaths reminded him of something. Something he had been trying to push out of his mind since it had come to an end.

Simon had made mention of how Eve was supposed to die just before he was carted off to the local prison. To make it seem as though she had not suffered, the psycho had intended to put her to seep before drowning her in the bathtub. And now the detectives who had put Simon behind bars were being followed? As stated before, Shinichi did not believe in coincidences. Not when they were obviously something much more sinister.

He shivered and held the little girl close, placing his forehead to hers, trying as hard as he could to get comfort out of the gesture. Eve seemed to sense he was upset, and she tried to giggle and smile to get him happy again. He wished it were that simple.

He heard the makings of a small argument going on in the background. Kaito had said something Hakuba did not agree with, or so it seemed, and Hattori was doing his best to keep the both of them quiet while simultaneously trying to get Shinichi's attention. The detective of the east thought that maybe it was time to give the other a break, as those two could carry an argument into the netherworld if they really wanted to. Sometimes he thought they truly despised each other.

He balanced Eve on his knee and sighed loudly. In mere seconds he had the attention of the other three in the room. "I honestly don't see what is you two are fighting about." He also had absolutely no idea what the two of them were even talking about. He really should have been paying better attention, but they would be sure to tell him what was going on soon enough.

Kaito went first; pouting in a way that Shinichi could not help but smile at. "Shin-Chan, all I'm saying is that, if you guys know something's not right, then you should be able to protect yourselves no matter what."

To which Hakuba replied, "And I politely informed him that our hands are tied. We can't do something against these unknown individuals without proof of ill intent."

"They're stalking you! How is that not ill intent?"

"We happen to somewhat famous in our own right, Kuroba. Are you aware of many people follow, worship, and send correspondence to us on a daily basis? Mind you, most of which are not very age appropriate?"

That Shinichi had to somewhat agree with. Being looked at and followed, either in a metaphorical or literal sense, was the price you paid for fame. You had to get used to it or you risked looking wimpy and unprofessional. Shinichi could just see how he would look going into the Beika police station, saying he was scared of someone in a trench coat following him around. If they did not outright laugh at him, they would surely lose several notches of respect for his person.

"So you're just going to stand here and let it happen?" Kaito countered. "Can't you at least take some kind of precaution?"

Hakuba rolled his eyes yet again. "Who said we weren't going to take precautions? Regardless of what you may think, despite the fact that we are detectives, we don't welcome death to our dinner tables every week." He took a breath to calm himself. He was not looking very gentlemanly at the moment, and a whiny brat was not the image he wanted to portray in front of Shinichi. "I've actually come up with a few suggestions that could keep us out of harm's way, while simultaneously keeping others safe, until we figure out what on earth is going on."

"Which would be?"

"Well for one thing, it would mean we have to cut down the number of cases we accept on a weekly basis, as well as the severity of the cases we take."

It made a good deal of sense, but none of the detectives in the room were too keen on it. They lived for their work, tiring though it may have been, and they thrived on the thrill of the chase coupled with the satisfaction of solving the puzzle. Stopping such joys for something uncertain was not in any way an attractive option.

"We'll have to also have to rethink going anywhere that's not entirely necessary. Like, say, KID heists, for example." The blonde in no way missed the intense glare sent to him when Shinichi averted his gaze for a moment.

Even Eve shivered slightly when the temperature in the room seemed to magically drop.

Kaito, to his credit, simply smiled as though he did not want to seriously throttle the smirking English detective. "That sure would cut down our together time, don't you think?" All he received were confused blinks. "What I mean is, KID heists are one of the few times when we can all get together. Without them we run the risk of slowly forgetting the others exist."

Shinichi could not help but chuckle at the idea. "I can't count the number of times I've actually tried to forget that the three of you existed. If I couldn't do it by sheer will alone, I highly doubt some separation would do the trick."

Hattori nodded. "And anyways, it's not like we don't know where the other lives. I say we should start randomly start showing up at each other's houses and kidna-" He stopped when three very heated glares were sent his way. "...and _borrow_ each other for a little while."

Kaito tilted his head. "Don't we do that now anyway?"

The Osakan shrugged. "We could just make it official."

Hakuba glanced over to Shinichi, who had for the moment set his gaze firmly on Eve. He had been doing that quite a bit during their short get together, and the look in his eyes was worrisome. Something was very wrong. Shinichi did not get such a heartbroken look in his eyes unless something extremely precious was about to be lost. And to see that look aimed at Eve, when the discussion was so very grim...

"What is it you're not telling us, Shinichi?"

The brunette looked up to the blonde, startled by the intrusion in his thoughts. "Pardon?"

Hakuba frowned. "There's something bothering you, I can tell, and you aren't saying anything about it."

Shinichi was surprised anyone had noticed the change in attitude. He was usually very good about hiding those sort of things. Still, he should have known better than to think his own peers, who were just as smart and intuitive as he was, would not notice eventually. "What kind of answer would you like me to give you?"

All eyes were now on him. "The truth."

So simple. So blunt. Yet so difficult to adhere to. "Alright, here's the thing,"

* * *

MistressOfTime1218: I apologize if this is not up to par with the other chapters, and if you spot things that need fixing then let me, and sorry it's really too much of a filler. I was just so rushed to get it done that I may have missed things in trying to post by today. Hope you enjoy it.


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